[Ord. 512, 3/26/1990, § 14.1]
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "West Norriton Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance."
[Ord. 512, 3/26/1990, § 14-2]
This chapter is adopted for the following purposes:
1. 
To assist orderly, efficient, integrated and harmonious development of the Township.
2. 
To assure sites suitable for building purposes and human habitation.
3. 
To coordinate proposed streets within existing streets or other proposed streets, parks or other features of the Township Plan of Streets.
4. 
To provide adequate open spaces for traffic, recreation, light and air and for proper distribution of population.
5. 
To ensure conformance of subdivision and land development plans with the public improvements of the Township and coordination of intermunicipal, county and commonwealth improvement plans and programs.
6. 
To secure equitable handling of all subdivision and land development plans by providing uniform procedures and standards.
7. 
To regulate subdivisions and land developments within the jurisdiction of the Township and concurrently to promote the highest quality environment obtainable.
8. 
To ensure that the layout and arrangement of the subdivision or land development plan is in conformance with the approved articles or chapters of the Comprehensive Plan when such plan is adopted and to any regulations or maps adopted in furtherance thereof.
[Ord. 512, 3/26/1990, § 14.1.3; as amended by Ord. 524, 12/31/1991]
The provisions of this chapter shall be held to be minimum requirements to meet the above-stated purposes. Where the provisions of this chapter impose greater restrictions than those of any statute, other ordinance or regulation, the provisions of such statute, ordinance or regulation shall prevail.
[Ord. 512, 3/26/1990, § 14.1.4]
No subdivision of any lot, tract or parcel of land shall be effected and no street, alley, sanitary sewer, storm drain, water main, gas, oil and electric transmission line, or other facilities in connection therewith, shall be laid out, constructed, opened or dedicated for public use or travel or for the common use of occupants of a building abutting thereon, except in strict accordance with the subdivision and land development regulations adopted hereunder.
[Ord. 512, 3/26/1990, § 14.1.5]
No lot in a subdivision or land development may be sold and no permit to erect, alter or repair any building upon land in a subdivision or land development may be issued, unless and until a plan has been approved and, where required, recorded and until the required improvements in connection therewith from the lot or building to an existing improved street have either been constructed or the Township has been assured by means of a proper completion guarantee in the form of a bond or the deposit of funds or securities in escrow sufficient to cover the cost of the required improvements, as estimated by the Township Engineer, that the improvements will subsequently be installed. Where, owing to special conditions, a literal enforcement of this requirement would result in unnecessary hardship, such reasonable exception thereto may be made as will not be contrary to the public interest, and the sale of a lot, issuance of a permit or erection of a building may be permitted subject to conditions necessary to assure adequate streets and other improvements.
[Ord. 512, 3/26/1990, § 14-1.6]
1. 
General.
A. 
No changes shall be made in the contour of the land and no grading, excavating, removal or destruction of the topsoil, trees or other vegetative cover of the land shall be commenced for any commercial, industrial, or residential development of five acres or more until such time that a plan for minimizing erosion and sedimentation has been processed with and reviewed by the Township Engineer or there has been a determination by the Engineer that such plans are not necessary.
B. 
No subdivision or land development plan shall be approved unless:
(1) 
There has been a plan approved by the Board of Commissioners that provides for minimizing erosion and sedimentation consistent with this section, and an improvement bond or other acceptable securities are deposited with the Township in the form of an escrow guaranty which will ensure installation and completion of the required improvements; or
(2) 
There has been a determination by the Board of Commissioners that a plan for minimizing erosion and sedimentation is not necessary.
C. 
Measures used to control erosion and reduce sedimentation shall, as a minimum, meet the standards and specifications of the Montgomery County Conservation District. The Township Engineer, or other officials as designated, shall ensure compliance with the appropriate specifications, copies of which are available from the district or the Municipal Building or the Township Secretary of West Norriton Township.
2. 
Performance Principles. The following measures are effective in minimizing erosion and sedimentation and shall be included where applicable in the control plan:
A. 
Stripping of vegetation, regrading or other development shall be done in such a way that will minimize erosion.
B. 
Development plans shall preserve salient natural features, keep cut-fill operations to a minimum and ensure conformity with topography so as to create the least erosion potential and adequately handle the volume and velocity of surface water runoff.
C. 
Whenever feasible, natural vegetation shall be retained, protected and supplemented.
D. 
The disturbed area and the duration of exposure shall be kept to a practical minimum.
E. 
Disturbed soils shall be stabilized as quickly as possible.
F. 
Temporary vegetation and/or mulching shall be used to protect exposed critical areas during development.
G. 
The permanent (final) vegetation and mechanical erosion control and drainage measures shall be installed as soon as practical in the development.
H. 
Provisions shall be made to effectively accommodate the increased runoff caused by changed soil and surface conditions during and after development. Where necessary, the rate of surface water runoff will be mechanically retarded.
I. 
Sediment in the runoff water shall be trapped until the disturbed area is stabilized by the use of debris basins, sediment basins, silt traps or similar measures.
3. 
Grading for Drainage. In order to provide more suitable sites for building and other uses, improve surface drainage and control erosion, the following requirements shall be met:
A. 
All lots, tracts or parcels shall be graded to provide proper drainage away from buildings and dispose of it without ponding, and all land within a development shall be graded to drain and dispose of surface water without ponding, except where approved by the Board.
B. 
All drainage provisions shall be of such design to adequately handle the surface runoff and carry it to the nearest suitable outlet, such as a curbed street, storm drain or natural watercourse. Where drainage swales are used to divert surface waters away from buildings, they shall be sodded or planted as required and shall be of such slope, shape and size as to conform to the requirements of the Township. (See § 22-511 of this chapter).
C. 
Concentration of surface water shall only be permitted in swales or watercourses.
D. 
Excavation and Fills.
(1) 
Cut and fill slopes shall not be steeper than three to one unless stabilized by a retaining wall or cribbing, except as approved by the Board when handled under special conditions.
(2) 
Adequate provisions shall be made to prevent surface water from damaging the outface of excavations and of the sloping surfaces of fills.
(3) 
Cut and fill shall not endanger adjoining property.
(4) 
Fill shall be placed and compacted so as to minimize sliding or erosion of the soil.
(5) 
Fill shall not encroach on natural watercourses or constructed channels.
(6) 
Fill placed adjacent to natural watercourses or constructed channels shall have suitable protection against erosion during periods of flooding.
(7) 
Grading shall not be done in such a way so as to divert water onto the property of another landowner without the written consent of the Board of Commissioners and the affected property owner.
(8) 
During grading operations, necessary measures for dust control will be exercised.
(9) 
Grading equipment will not be allowed to cross live streams. Provisions will be made for the installation of culverts or bridges as recommended by the Township Engineer and approved in writing by the Board of Commissioners.
4. 
Responsibility.
A. 
Whenever sedimentation is caused by stripping vegetation, regrading or other development, it shall be the responsibility of the person, corporation or other entity causing such sedimentation to remove it from all adjoining surfaces, drainage systems and watercourses and to repair any damage at his expense as quickly as possible.
B. 
Maintenance of all drainage facilities and watercourses within any subdivision or land development is the responsibility of the developer until they are accepted by the Township or some other official agency, after which they become the responsibility of the accepting agency.
C. 
It is the responsibility of any person, corporation or other entity doing any act on or across a stream, watercourse or swale or upon the floodplain right-of-way thereof to maintain as nearly as possible in its present state the stream, watercourse, swale, floodplain or right-of-way during the pendency of the activity and to return it to its original or equal condition after such activity is completed.
D. 
Maintenance of drainage facilities or watercourses originating and completely on private property is the responsibility of the owner to their point of open discharge at the property line or at a communal watercourse within the property.
E. 
No person, corporation or other entity shall block, impede the flow of, alter, construct any structure or deposit any material or thing nor commit any act which will affect normal or flood flow in any stream or watercourse without having obtained prior approval from the Township and/or the Department of Environmental Resources, whichever is applicable.
F. 
Where a subdivision or land development is traversed by a watercourse there shall be provided a drainage easement or right-of-way conforming substantially to the line of such watercourse and of such width as will be adequate to preserve natural drainage.
5. 
Compliance with Regulations and Procedures.
A. 
Final plans for minimizing erosion and sedimentation as approved will be incorporated into the agreement and bond requirements under both § 22-603 and Part 7 of this chapter.
B. 
The approval of plans and specifications for the control of erosion and sedimentation shall be concurrent with the approval of the final plats of subdivision or land development and become a part thereof.
C. 
At the time that a building permit is applied for, a review shall be conducted by the Township Engineer to ensure conformance with the plan as approved. During the construction, further consultative technical assistance will be furnished, if necessary, by the Township Engineer and the Montgomery County Conservation District. During this development phase, the Township Engineer shall inspect the development site and enforce compliance with the approved plans.
D. 
Permission for clearing and grading prior to recording of plats may be obtained under temporary easements or other conditions satisfactory to the Township.
E. 
In the event that the developer proceeds to clear and grade prior to recording plats, without satisfying conditions specified under § 22-106, Subsection 5D, the Board may revoke the approval of the preliminary plan and require restoration to the original grade and vegetation as equal as possible to the original natural conditions at the developer's expense and cost. Damages to adjoining property owners because of the developer's action in such cases will not be the responsibility of the Township but will be the sole responsibility of the developer who is in violation of this chapter.